Food at a west London restaurant was eight years out of date and contaminated with rat droppings and insects, a council report has revealed.
Hoi Kee Chinese Restaurant in Pinner was infested with rats and had to be temporarily shut down after a damning inspection by Harrow Council officials.
The town hall revealed on Wednesday how TSK Cash and Carry in Rayners Lane was shut down days after Hoi Kee when inspectors found food shredded by rodents and a “very heavy rat infestation” there.
The owners of both businesses were hauled before magistrates and ordered to pay more than £2,300 between them, as well as being told to clean up their acts or face permanent closure.
Both have now reopened.
Harrow’s crime and community safety chief Graham Henson said: “It is not acceptable for shops serving food to have rats running around their premises.
“Residents should be confident that they can eat out or purchase food safely. On this occasion Hoi Kee Chinese Restaurant and TSK Cash and Carry fell short of these standards.”
Shuai Zhang, the owner of Hoi Kee, was ordered to pay costs of £800. And Luxmi Cash and Carry Ltd, owner of TSK Cash and Carry, was told to pay £1,500.
TSK told the Standard it had shut for “five or six days” and treated the rodent problem following the council inspection.
“There are a lot of shops that it’s happened to in this area,” a spokesman told the Standard.
“On the road behind the shop is a big park – it’s all open.
“There’s rats always crossing the road, day and night, but [in the] evening when the lights are on everything comes to the shop.”
No one from Hoi Kee could immediately be reached for comment.
SeeWoo Foods said in a statement: "The food pictured in the above photos was sold well within its sell by date and has clearly been stored for a very long time on the premises of the restaurant."
"We take our food safety very seriously. Customer safety is our primary concern."
